Put it this way, I'd rather be us than them
The Manchester Title Race
- Thread starter charlenefan
- Start date
Me too, and was gonna go with it, but ya know..
That would be true for me even if we were in the relegation zone and they were on course for the PL-CL double. Those classless, nouveau riche fecks.
Well yeah, there's that too.
Certainly in terms of fixture lists though, I'm sure Mancini's starting to sweat. Us going to Eastlands is feckall comfort for them considering the unpredictability of the derby.
I know what you meant. I just wanted to say something nasty about City.
mmm, that is debatable. Surely you would always prefer the 2 points and the fact they are at home in the derby.
I think they will be confident, like we are.
No, you wouldn't. They have a rather tough fixture list while our is very comfortable.
I rather we are above them in the table.
we got some tricky matches to come, i think we do well if we are above them come the crunch clash april 30.
Manchester City:
(A) Swansea City
(H) Chelsea
(A) Stoke City
(H) Sunderland
(A) Arsenal
(H) West Brom
(A) Norwich City
(A) Wolves
(H) Manchester United
(A) Newcastle United
(H) QPR
Manchester United:
(H) West Brom
(A) Wolves
(H) Fulham
(A) Blackburn
(H) QPR
(A) Wigan
(H) Aston Villa
(H) Everton
(A) Man City
(H) Swansea
(A) Sunderland
Being two points clear of us probably works against them, when you think of their inexperience and the immense pressure they are now under.
It is debatable, Randy. But I agree with Zen. Our experience and our momentum tip it slightly in our favour. I just think the slightest self doubt will be creeping in for them now. Theyll be thinking, oh shit, they got through that period without dropping many points. Theyll know it is in their hands but at the same time that they have no margin for error at all.
How the feck would being above someone work against you?
It's a psychological thing.
I think you might have taken it a step too far, Zen. I was with you up until this latest point. Definitely agree Id take our situation over theirs, all things considered. But they are better off being 2 points ahead of us than they would being on equal points or behind us.
No, it's not. Being behind would put even more pressure on them if they knew that one defeat would nearly rule them out at this point with that fixture lists.
Fair enough, I still stand by my viewpoint though.
I'm sure that City would prefer to be the underdogs at this moment in time, as they were so widely held before the season. But no, they've led the league pretty much all season, established themselves as the favourites and have a shiteload of expectation on them. They've never been here before.
It's not like there's three games left to play, there's a long way to go yet and we're seemingly unstoppable at the moment.
It's a funny situation. On City's side, being 2 points ahead, they are the favourites. With the potential deciding match being at their ground, they'll be confident.
On our side, we'll be confident too. We're only 2 points behind, and have been decimated with injuries this season. On paper, we've got the relatively easier fixture list, coupled with the fact our manager & players have been there, seen it and done it. Plus we've got momentum right now I feel.
Both teams have reason to be confident, but I think our experience will prove decisive in the end.
On our side, we'll be confident too. We're only 2 points behind, and have been decimated with injuries this season. On paper, we've got the relatively easier fixture list, coupled with the fact our manager & players have been there, seen it and done it. Plus we've got momentum right now I feel.
Both teams have reason to be confident, but I think our experience will prove decisive in the end.
Oh, so you give me a hard time one game ago for saying we have an advantage schedule wise, and now you ours is easier? Is that just because of the Tottenham game, or have to changed your mind about the difficulty of some of the fixtures you were noting before?
I'm scared of Fulham and West Brom. Those are the two fixtures in there that strike me as banana skins. Especially given proximity to tough UEFA Cup/ Europa whatever matches.
Both teams are flying at the moment, and will be better rested than us. Hopefully the saving grace will be that we're at home - but to be honest our away from has been magnificent this season.
We desperately need to keep the current crop fit to have a chance. With a big tournament coming up, it does feel eerily like Rooney injury o'clock
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Both teams are flying at the moment, and will be better rested than us. Hopefully the saving grace will be that we're at home - but to be honest our away from has been magnificent this season.
We desperately need to keep the current crop fit to have a chance. With a big tournament coming up, it does feel eerily like Rooney injury o'clock
!I think we will rest few players before the westbrom game plus we should be able to deal with 2 games a week. Obviously anything can happen but I think we will both the matches.I'm scared of Fulham and West Brom. Those are the two fixtures in there that strike me as banana skins. Especially given proximity to tough UEFA Cup/ Europa whatever matches.
Both teams are flying at the moment, and will be better rested than us. Hopefully the saving grace will be that we're at home - but to be honest our away from has been magnificent this season.
We desperately need to keep the current crop fit to have a chance. With a big tournament coming up, it does feel eerily like Rooney injury o'clock
Such a tight race now...got to hope that our experience in these situations benefits us and that city succumb to the pressure and we blow the race out of the water
While I favour our remaining fixture list, it's gonna be very tight and impossible to predict. So far, it doesnt look like City's gonna crack but you never know
I'm scared of Fulham and West Brom. Those are the two fixtures in there that strike me as banana skins. Especially given proximity to tough UEFA Cup/ Europa whatever matches.
Both teams are flying at the moment, and will be better rested than us. Hopefully the saving grace will be that we're at home - but to be honest our away from has been magnificent this season.
We desperately need to keep the current crop fit to have a chance. With a big tournament coming up, it does feel eerily like Rooney injury o'clock
Fulham are a team we should always beat at OT.
While WBA are better away from home this season, again, we should be doing them at home.
I worry more about the likes of Wolves and Blackburn away - tough teams, passionate crowds, scrapping for their lives.
How would everyone feel if we get to the showdown at the Etihad in the exact same position we are in now? I'd be very worried if that was the case personally. Think it's pretty crucial we have some kind of lead going in to that fixture considering their rather impressive home form.
It would be a giant of a game. But City would be correctly favourites for the title seeing as a draw would suffice for them.
We would have to hope they choked
We would have to hope they choked
Given that we clearly have the "easier" fixture list leading up to that game, I'd be disappointed not to have made up the deficit of two points, at the very least. If that doesn't happen, though, and we go into that game still two points adrift, we would still be very much in the running. We won at the Etihad in the FA Cup, remember, and will fancy our chances of doing so again. Over the years, our players have done brilliantly in the must-win games, and they could easily do so again.
I thought yesterday that if we win against Tottenham we are favorites again. I stand by it, but i would be even more optimistic if it wasnt City we were challenging but some historical bottlers like Arsenal.
Nonetheless i see them loosing against Arsenal and even Chelsea might be up for it with AVB gone.
Nonetheless i see them loosing against Arsenal and even Chelsea might be up for it with AVB gone.
ladbrokes: United 13/8, Berties 7/2
I think a huge amount depends on those feckers continuing to have outrageous luck with injury. If Toure, Silva or Kompany miss their tougher games it could get very interesting. A genuine crisis like we had with our back four and I reckon they're screwed.
Mind you, we need to wrap Carrick in cotton wool between each of our league games.
Mind you, we need to wrap Carrick in cotton wool between each of our league games.
Well even before Norwich game ours was as tough as theirs not to mention before Arsenal.
It could be better, but I wouldn't be too worried. If we got to that stage like that, we'd just have to go in with the mentality that to win the title, we have to win our three remaining games, which of course includes the one against Man City. I don't think that would be too much to ask at that stage of the season, and I think we'd be able to do it.
I think we'll win it now. We've come through arse, Chelsea, spurs, Norwich away and the scouse and stoke at home and actually closed the gap. The late winners at arse and Norwich and the comeback at Chelsea will have seemed like death by a thousand cuts for city. They'll have looked at our fixture list and expected us to fall further behind. I just can't see us fecking it from here. And if I'm feeling that positive you know we're in good nick.
I think we'll go out to Bilbao mind.
I think we'll go out to Bilbao mind.
Will be interesting with both teams playing at the same time on Sunday. If the gap is the same after those fixtures we'll have a chance to go top away at Wolves the following week before City play on Monday night against Chelsea.
Which might be a shame, but a very acceptable price to pay in my view if it means resting the most vital members of the first team.
I'd be sick if we lost another player like we did with Valencia
Why are people desperate to be favourites?
I'd rather we just carry on as we have been for the last 2 months. We (including the fans) need to to keep grinding away rather than getting chirpy in my opinion.
I'd rather we just carry on as we have been for the last 2 months. We (including the fans) need to to keep grinding away rather than getting chirpy in my opinion.
Listening to MNC on Five Live tonight, Claridge made a good point (choquant!) about the title run-in and if you saw the fixtures two months ago, Manchester City would have been favourites because United would have played Arsenal, Chelsea, Norwich away et al and you might have expected points to be dropped. Of course now United's fixtures look favourable and with players coming back from injury -- what does Fergie always say about the team kicking on from March? It's very ominous.
EDIT: Just noticed this time ten years ago, United were second, two points off top. Surprising thing is they played two games more at this stage of the season yet the team now are six points better off.
EDIT: Just noticed this time ten years ago, United were second, two points off top. Surprising thing is they played two games more at this stage of the season yet the team now are six points better off.
Eh?
Two points advantage (three if you count the GD), with The Key game at home?
If the situation were reversed, I'm sure we'd be firm favorites.
Having Ferguson instead of Mancini is probably worth a couple of points, at least, moreso since both teams have to juggle league and Europa League commitments. Experience will be invaluable.
I have a feeling we will drop 2 points (draw) somewhere in that run up to the derby. I foresee City dropping more points than us though. Possibly 4, what with Stoke and Arsenal away fixtures. We should at the very least be level on points with them come the derby. The GD gap should have closed too since we are playing some 'smaller' teams and they're going to have more tight affairs. The derby is becoming more important by the day and many on here are underestimating the importance of that game.
The drawback to our easier (on paper) run of fixtures is that a lot of our opponents are fighting for their lives. Sometimes that is more difficult than playing a better team that are comfortable in mid-table.